Continuous cooker



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Patented pr. 2, W25.

lll'lEllllS 1?. EACH, F MILJLB'URN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY IttE-SNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THERMOKEJPT GORPURATIO'N, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

CONTINUOUS COOKER.

Application filed February 28, 1921. Serial No, 448,479.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that it. Nuns P. BACII, a subject of the King of Denmark. residing at Millburn. in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have made a certain new and useful llnvention in Continuous Cookers, of which the following is a specification.

lily invention relates to improvements in cookers whereby it is possible to successively and continuously feed into a processing or cooking chamber, the cans or containers having therein products to be processed or cooked, and, after havingbeen subjected to a suitable processing or cooking to continuously remove the succession of cans or containers without interrupting the processing or cooking pressures and temperatures.

Another object of my invention includes the provision of co-acting conveying mechanism whereby it is possible to pass a con stant stream of cans or containers through a processing or cooking chamber.

A further object of my invention includes the provision at a feed or inlet valve for continuously admitting cans or containers. into the processing or cooking chamber, and in cooperation therewith provide a similar outlet valve for continuously passing the processed cans out ot' said chamber without interrupting the cooking or processinp temperature or pressures within the chamber.

A still further object of my invention includes the arrangement and provision for seating said inlet and outlet valves by the inequality at pressures within and without said chamber.

'Other objects will become apparent heteinat'ter from the description and claims.

it attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. l is plan view partly section talren on line ll oi Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 o 3 top plan vi tion showing the up if L cylinder and the finger movin.

Elij h-1 l.

Pin

10 for supporting a feed disk 11 anda teed star 12. respectively. On this lateral vsupport there is also attached a guide flantfc 13 of a compound curve and a smaller flange 14 for the purpose hereinafter more fully set forth. This lateral support with its cooperating mechanism constitutes the feed device for advancing cans or containers and delivering them into the inlet or feed valve. A similar receiving device is provided laterally of the frame at 7, but which is not herein shown.

Immediately above the lateral supports are the valve seats 15 and 16 for the valves 4: and 5, and which seats form a part of the cooking or processing chamber. maining portion of the cooking or processing; chamber is formed by a casing 1'? and the walls of the main supporting frame. For convenience, l have shown the casing 17 as forming a simple elongated chaniber in Associated with the chain and sprocket wheels are an inner guide strip 19 and an outer guide strip 20 between which the cans or containers are caused to pass over a table 21 and moved by tinggers :22. which fingers are attached to the chain. A steam supply pipe 23 may be provided t or supplying "the heating medium. A drain 24 for carrying off the products of condensation may be provided as shown, or at any other suitable point.

The inlet and outlet valves consist essentially of cylindrical valve blocks ,4 and 5, having; pockets 4 and 5, in which are dis charge or ejection fingers 25. he appears from an inspection of the drawing. these valve blocks are mounted on a floating hear ing 2%, and operate to permit the valve blocks to be positively seated in the valve seats 15 and 16 when. for example the ternal pressure exceeds atmospheric orenternal pressure for the purpose torth be low, The valve blocks bearings carried on journals 27. to which are attached gears 28. which mesh with a gear 29., on

the drive join 9 The retegrally connected to the sprocket journal 30 is a drive gear 31, which meshes with a worm gear 32 for operating the mechanism through a suitable drive gear 33 or other means, as a pulley, electric motor, or the like. For properly advancing the cans or containers to the feed valve, the feed mechanism is operated through a drive gear 3 which meshes with the feed valve gear 28, and is carried on a shaft 35. The shaft 35 has attached thereto at its upper end a drive pinion 36 for cngagriiu and driving the t'ced star gear 2-37 Gear 3! meshes with a drive gear 338 for operating the feed disk 11. Above the feed disk 11 there is provided a hub or projection 39, which movably supports a suitable number of can spacing plugs hese plugs are resiliently mounted on springs 41, and operate to feed the cans or containers 42 when the mechanism is operated.

The ejection fingers 25 may be operated by any suitable means as by cam rollers 43 operating, in a raceway 44 of the cam plate 45, which plate may be held in position by bracket 46.

The operation is as follows:

When a supply of steam or other heating medium is admitted to the cooking or processing chamber by any suitable means, as through supply pipe 23, until the desired pressure has been attained, it is obvious that, due to the construction and mounting of the valves, the valve blocks t and 5 will be firmly seated in the valve seats 15 and 16, so that no heating medium readily escapes lit new the machine is put into operation through drive gear or other means, the intermeshing train of drive gears will synchronously operate the valves as well-as the several "feed, conveyor and ejection device so that t iere vvill he a continuous stream of cans, or con taincrs, fed into the cooker chamber be conveyed themthrough and as continuously discharged through the exit or ejecting valve. Obv' ,usly by varying the pressure and varying the temperature, the de ree of cooking or processing may be regulated. it may also be regulated by varying the lengthening of the path of travel or by var ing the rate of travel through the apparatus.

il hile l have described a specific embodiment of my invention, I do not thereby dcsire to limit myself, as obviously various modifications will present. themselves to those versed in the art coming Within the scope and spirit of my invention.

llhat I claim, therefore, as new and useful and of my own invention, and desire to seeure by letters Patent, is:

1. in a continuous cooker mechanism, the combination of a cooker chamber, means including a pressure sealed alve for feeding a continuous stream of containers into said chamber, means for advancing said containers through. said chamber, and means for continuously removing said containers from said chamber while maintaining a cooking pressure within said chamber.

2. ln a continuous cooker mechanisn'i, an elongated cooker chamber having an enlarged head. a pair of pressure seated valves in said head, one of said valves feeding a continuous stream of containers into said chamber, and the other of said valves con-- tinuously ejecting said containers from said chamber while maintaining constant cooking pressure.

3. A. continuous cooking apparatus comprising an elongated cooker chamber having an enlarged head. alve seats in said head, valves in said seats, one of said valves and seats constructed to pass an uninterrupted stream of containers into said chamber, and the other of said seats and valves constantly ejecting said containers while maintaining the cooking pressure constant, said valves being pressure seated.

A continuous cooking apparatus comprising an elongated cooker chamber having; an enlarged head, valve seats in said head. alves in said seats, said valves having; a plurality of pockets and being; seated in said seats by pressure, a conveyor mechanism doubling upon itself and extending into said elongated chamber from said valves for carrying containers from one of said valves to the other of said valves in an uninterrupted and continuous stream.

min a cooker device, the combination of anelongated chamber and valve seats forming an enlarged head for said chamber, pres sure-seated valves in said seats, spacer devices for feeding containers to one of said valves, a conveyor extending from said head into said chamber for receiving an uninterrupted flow of containers, and conveying the same through said chamber for continuously discharging sa d containers.

(3. The combination in a continuous pressure cooker mechanism of a processing chamber having a port therein and a valve controlling said port for conveying a (Ullllillb ous stream of containers thcrethrough under cooking pressure, said valve being seated by said pressure.

in testimony whereof have hereunto se my hand on this 28 day of January, A. 1921.

Wil Q 

